Pole embedment device and system and method of embedding pole

ABSTRACT

A system and method for embedding structures in soil is provided. Certain embodiments include a burrowing head having a channel positioned proximate a burrowing end of the burrowing head to direct a fluid medium therethrough. Other embodiments further include a structure, such as a pole, attached to the burrowing head, and a fluid source attached to the channel. Methods of embedding the burrowing head and structure that include directing a fluid medium into soil, and lowering the burrowing head and structure assembly through the soil to a predetermined depth.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 60/894,823, filed Mar. 14, 2007, and entitled “POLE EMBEDMENT DEVICEAND SYSTEM AND METHOD OF EMBEDDING POLE,” the disclosure of which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention is directed generally to a system and method for embeddingstructures in the ground and, more specifically, to methods and systemsfor using fluids in connection with placing a structure at a desireddepth in the ground.

2. Related Art

Placement of structures, such as utility poles and like, in the groundis commonplace. Indeed, such embedded structures are ubiquitous, and areused for a myriad of purposes, such as to mount power lines, antennas,lights, and signs. Such embedded structures typically include anabove-ground portion and an embedded, below-ground portion. Still otherembedded structures have no above-ground portion, such as piling-typesupports that are intended to support a separate, above-ground structurebuilt onto the piling-type supports.

Common to many or most embedded structures is a need for the structureto be stably placed in the ground such that the embedded structureremains in the desired position and orientation relative to the groundsurface after emplacement. Structures are commonly embedded in theground in such a way as to achieve fairly uniform support about the baseof a structure, and to eliminate, at least in part, a need to provide anabove-ground system for anchoring the structure in place and to achievethe requisite amount of support for the structure. The embeddedstructure is generally desired to be sufficiently stable so as to remainin the desired position and orientation in the event that limitedlateral force or torque is applied to the above-ground portion of theembedded structure.

FIG. 1 shows an embedded structure 50 according to the prior art. Theparticular embedded structure depicted is a pole that may be used as,for example, a utility pole application for mounting power lines and thelike. Embedded structure 50 may be embedded in the soil 5, and when soembedded has an embedded portion 1 and a non-embedded portion 3extending generally perpendicular to the surface 7 of soil 5.

Embedded structures such as embedded structure 50 may be emplaced insoil according to one of a number of known methods. One method, forexample, includes excavation of a suitably-sized hole in the soil 5,followed by emplacement of a portion 1 of the structure 50 in the hole.Because soil often tends to be unstable, the excavated hole must oftenbe significantly larger in diameter than the structure 50 to be placedin the hole. Where soil 5 has a high sand content and/or includes thepresence of a high water table, excavated holes often must be largerthan the diameter of structure 50 by orders of magnitude due to soil 5eroding from the walls of the hole into the hole during excavation.Following excavation, structure 50 is placed into the hole in the adesired orientation relative to the soil surface 7, then the spacearound the embedded structure 50 is backfilled with soil 5 and thesurface 7 is tamped to further compact the soil 5 around the outersurface 52 of the embedded structure 50. So emplaced, the soil 5 impartsa relatively uniform stabilizing force, at a particular depth, to theouter surface 52 of the embedded structure, in, for example, thedirections A and A′. The excavation of a hole necessary to embed astructure 50 is ordinarily carried with mechanized digging tools, suchas, for example, augers or backhoes, or any other suitable method ordevice.

Another method of emplacing the structure 50 in the soil 5 is to providea vibratory hammer (not shown) and casing (not shown) to embed thestructure 50 in the soil 5. According to this method, a casing having alarger diameter than the structure 50 to be embedded in the soil isfirst driven into the ground with a vibratory hammer. The vibratoryhammer may be a mechanized device that may be operatively connected tothe casing, often by using a boom truck or crane, to oscillate thecasing sufficiently so as to cause the casing to burrow into the soil 5to a desired depth. A vibratory hammer is a relatively large piece ofmachinery, and typically must be hauled to an excavation site. After thecasing is embedded, the soil within the casing is excavated and thestructure 50 to be embedded (such as a utility pole) is placed withinthe casing with a crane or boom truck or the like. Thereafter, thecasing is backfilled around the embedded structure 50 to stabilize it.The vibratory hammer and casing method of embedment is generallydesirable for soil having a high sand content and/or high water table.

The above-described methods and devices for emplacing embeddedstructures generally work well, but are not without problems. Forexample, soil having relatively high sand content and low clay content(“sandy soil”) is inherently less stable than soil having relatively lowsand content and high clay content. When emplacing structure 50 in sandysoil, it is often necessary to excavate a relatively larger hole inwhich to emplace the structure 50 due to the tendency for the walls ofthe hole to collapse. As such, emplacement in such environments isrelatively time-consuming and labor-intensive.

There is a need, therefore, for a system and method for emplacing astructure in the ground that eliminates or greatly reduces the need forexcavation prior to emplacement of the structure, and which furtherreduces the material and labor costs associated with emplacement of thestructure. The present invention meets these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention include an apparatus for facilitating theemplacement of a structure in a soil medium. The apparatus may include agenerally cone-shaped member that includes a burrowing end and an endadapted to attach to an object intended to be emplaced in a soil medium;and a channel extending proximate the cone-shaped member that has afirst end and a second end, and the second end is configured to direct afluid medium proximate the burrowing end of the cone-shaped member.Embodiments of the apparatus may be attached to a pole, and may includea device for delivering at least one fluid medium attached to thechannel first end.

According to another aspect, an apparatus for embedding a structure in asoil medium is provided that includes a burrower configured to burrow ina soil medium, an attacher configured to attach a structure to theburrower, and for a fluid source adapted to deliver a fluid medium underpressure proximate to a soil penetration end of the burrower to reducesoil cohesion during emplacement of the structure in the soil medium,wherein the burrower is adapted to remain in the soil medium afteremplacement of the structure.

Embodiments of the invention may also include a method for embedding astructure in a soil medium. The method may include providing a generallycone-shaped member comprising a burrowing end and an end adapted to beattached to an object intended to be emplaced in a soil medium, andproviding a channel extending proximate the cone-shaped member, thechannel having a first end and a second end, the second end beingconfigured to direct a fluid medium proximate the burrowing end of thecone-shaped member. A vertical support structure may be attached to theend adapted to attach to an object; and a device for delivering at leastone fluid medium may be attached to the channel first end. The verticalsupport structure and cone-shaped member assembly may be orientedrelative to a surface of the soil medium such that the bottom surface ofthe cone shaped member is positionable proximate the surface of the soilmedium; and a fluid medium may be provided to the first end of thechannel, the fluid medium being provided at a rate and volume sufficientto reduce cohesion of the soil medium to allow the vertical supportstructure and cone-shaped member assembly to descend through the soilmedium to a predetermined depth.

Additional features, advantages, and embodiments of the invention may beset forth or apparent from consideration of the following detaileddescription, drawings, and claims. Moreover, it is to be understood thatboth the foregoing summary of the invention and the following detaileddescription are exemplary and intended to provide further explanationwithout limiting the scope of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention, are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the detailed description serve to explain the principlesof the invention. No attempt is made to show structural details of theinvention in more detail than may be necessary for a fundamentalunderstanding of the invention and the various ways in which it may bepracticed. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a pole embedded in soil according to the priorart;

FIG. 2 is a side view of an embedment assembly of an embodiment,according to principles of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of an embedment assembly of an embodiment,according to principles of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a side view of an embedment system and assembly of anembodiment, according to principles of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a top view of an embedment system and assembly of anembodiment, according to principles of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an embodiment showing steps for embedding astructure, according to principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the invention and the various features andadvantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference tothe non-limiting embodiments and examples that are described and/orillustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the followingdescription. It should be noted that the features illustrated in thedrawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and features of oneembodiment may be employed with other embodiments as the skilled artisanwould recognize, even if not explicitly stated herein. Descriptions ofwell-known components and processing techniques may be omitted so as tonot unnecessarily obscure the embodiments of the invention. The examplesused herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of waysin which the invention may be practiced and to further enable those ofskill in the art to practice the embodiments of the invention.Accordingly, the examples and embodiments herein should not be construedas limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined solely by theappended claims and applicable law. Moreover, it is noted that likereference numerals represent similar parts throughout the several viewsof the drawings, It is understood that the invention is not limited tothe particular methodology, protocols, devices, apparatus, materials,applications, etc., described herein, as these may vary. It is also tobe understood that the terminology used herein is used for the purposeof describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limitthe scope of the invention, It must be noted that as used herein and inthe appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” includeplural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skillin the art to which this invention belongs. Preferred methods, devices,and materials are described, although any methods and materials similaror equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice ortesting of the invention.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a side-view perspective and a top-viewperspective, respectively, of an exemplary, non-limiting embedmentassembly 100, according to principles of the invention. The embedmentassembly 100 may be configured to be selectively attached to a structureto be embedded in soil, such as a pole similar to that shown in FIG. 1.Embedment assembly 100 may include a burrowing head 101 having agenerally cone-shaped configuration. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2and 3, the burrowing head 101 may be constructed of six sides 102, eachside 102 being configured as an isosceles trapezoid and joined to oneanother along a non-parallel edge 107 of each side 102. So configured,the burrowing head 101 may include a narrow end 103 and a wide end 105.A plate 104 may be included and attached to each of the sides 102 at aperimeter edge of each side 102 at the narrow end 103 of the burrowinghead 101. The burrowing head 101 need not be faceted, and may instead beconstructed as a unitary cone having at least one smooth side.Alternately, the burrowing head 101 may have more or fewer facets thanthe six, as shown in FIG. 1. Further, the facets may form a pleatedconfiguration of the burrowing head 101. Additionally, ridges or grooves(not shown) of any desired configuration may also be included on atlease one exterior surface of the burrowing head 101 exterior to promotedirectional burrowing.

One or more members 117 may also be included in the embodiment assembly100 to facilitate attachment of a structure to be embedded in the soil.Each member 117 may preferably span across a predetermined width of thewide end 105 of the burrowing head 101 and may be attached to theburrowing head 101 at opposed ends of the member 117 by any suitablemethod, such as welding or fastening. The member(s) 117 may have anL-shaped cross-section comprised of a horizontal portion 118 connectedto a vertical portion 120 along a longitudinal edge. The verticalportion 120 may be configured to increase a resistance of a respectivemember 117 to deformation when a force is applied to the embodimentassembly 100 in a direction generally from the wide end 105 to thenarrow end 103.

The burrowing head 101 may also include a channel 106 extending throughthe burrowing head 101 in a direction generally from the wide end 105 tothe narrow end 103, and terminating proximate an opening 109 in theplate 104. The channel 106 may be constructed from any suitablematerial, such as, for example, a unitary metal, a PVC pipe, arubberized hose, or the like. In a preferred embodiment, the channel 106may have an end 108 and is constructed of a galvanized pipe comprising aplurality of pipe segments 112 and joints 114, 116. The channel 106 mayextend through the opening 109 in the plate 104 to a predetermineddistance outside of the burrowing head 101. A terminal end of thechannel 106 may be open and may include an outflow 110. The outflow 110may have a diameter that is substantially the same or different than adiameter of other parts of the channel 106. In a preferred embodiment,the outflow 110 includes a flared portion 115 that is configured todirect fluid flowing out from the outflow 110 to an area outside theembedment assembly 100 in a generally cone-shaped and distributedmanner. Of course, the outflow 110 may be any desired shape such as, forexample, a conical shape, a cylindrical shape, a rectangular shape, orany other shape capable of directing fluid in a manner suitable for aparticular application, as the skilled artisan will readily appreciatewithout departing from the scope and/or spirit of the invention.

In an alternate embodiment, the channel 106 may be configured to extendalong or proximate an exterior surface of the burrowing head 101 andterminate proximate an exterior side of the plate 104. In otherembodiments, the outflow 110 may be located at one or more locations onone or more of the sides 102, either alternately or in addition to alocation proximate the plate 104.

In other configurations, the burrowing head 101 may include a plate (notshown) that is adapted to be placed over the wide end 105 to form achamber. The plate may have an inlet (not shown) to which the channel106 may be attached. In such a configuration, fluid directed through thechannel 106 may enter the chamber through the inlet and exit through theoutflow 110.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate an exemplary, non-limiting embedment system andassembly 200 operatively connected to a utility pole 250. The pole 250may be of any configuration, including a plurality of faceted sides 252along a generally tubular structure, for example. The end plate 254 maybe attached to a bottom end of the pole 250 to facilitate attachment tothe embedment assembly 200. The embedment assembly 200 may be attachedto an end of the pole 250 that is intended to be embedded in soil. Theend plate 254 may be attachable to the horizontal portions 218 of one ormore members 217, and may be attached by any suitable method, such as,for example, welding, riveting or fastening. Alternatively, the endplate 254 may be eliminated and the pole 250 may be directly attachableto the one or more members 217 of the embedment assembly 200.

A fluid source 280 may be attached to a channel 206 having a lengthextending upwardly of the embedment assembly 200 sufficient to extendbeyond the soil surface to the fluid source 280 when the pole 250 andembedment assembly 200 are embedded at a predetermined depth. In apreferred embodiment, the fluid source 280 is an air compressor and/or awater pump.

As previously described, the fluid source 280 may preferably provide agaseous and/or a liquid media to the channel 206. The fluid source 280may be any suitable fluid source, as the skilled artisan will readilyrecognize, depending on a particular application that provides a fluidto the channel 206 at a predetermined volume and a predetermined rate offlow. In a preferred embodiment, compressed air and/or pressurized watermay be provided by the fluid source 280. The fluid source 280 may beconfigured to provide only gas or only liquid, or may be configured toprovide both alternately or mixed together, thereby allowing a user toselect which fluid media to use at a particular point in the embedmentprocess. Moreover, the predetermined volume and/or predetermined rate offlow may involve multiple predetermined volumes or rates of flow thatmay optionally be applied at different times in the embedding procedure,depending on soil condition for example.

Once the embedment assembly 200 and pole 250 (collectively, embeddablepole 270) are assembled as shown schematically in FIG. 4, the embeddablepole 270 may be embedded in the soil. It may be desirable to first drivea relatively narrow auger, such as a flight auger, into the soil to adepth that the embeddable pole 270 will be emplaced. This may serve todetect for obstructions that may exist below the soil surface which mayimpede the progress of emplacing the embeddable pole 270 as it descendsthrough the soil. Subsequently, a user may orient the embeddable pole270 in a predetermined direction, generally corresponding to thedirection the embeddable pole 270 is intended to be sunk into the soilwith the outflow 210 placed proximate the soil surface.

Once the embeddable pole 270 is positioned as described above, the fluidsource 280 may be operated to provide a fluid to the channel 206 forrelease through the outflow 210. The fluid may be provided at asufficient rate to permeate the soil and cause the soil particles, andparticularly any sand in the soil, to become relatively cohesionless (orat least less cohesive) and suspended in the fluid. Once the soil issuspended in the fluid medium, the embeddable pole 270 is lowered ontoand downwardly through the soil, until it reaches a predetermined depth.When the embeddable pole 270 is positioned as it is intended to remain,the fluid from the fluid source 280 may be terminated and the soilsurrounding the embeddable pole 270 may cease to be suspended and againbecome relatively cohesive. In addition, the soil surrounding theembeddable pole 270 tends to become more, after embedment compact thanat times prior to embedment due to the displacement and compaction ofsoil by the presence of embeddable pole 270.

Following embedment of the embeddable pole 270 to the predetermineddepth, the fluid source 280 may be uncoupled from the channel 206. Theburrowing head 201 may remain in the soil. The burrowing head 201 may beconstructed of six sides 202, each side 202 typically being configuredas an isosceles trapezoid and joined to one another side 202. Theburrowing head 201 may also include a channel 206 extending through theburrowing head 201 in a direction generally from the wide end 205 to thenarrow end 203. The channel 206 may be constructed of a galvanized pipecomprising a plurality of pipe segments 212 and joints 214, 216. Theoutflow 210 may include a flared portion 215 that is configured todirect fluid flowing out from the outflow 210 to an area outside theembedment assembly 200 in a generally cone-shaped and distributedmanner.

Thereafter, the embeddable pole 270 may be used for any suitablepurpose, such as, for example, for mounting utility lines, or the like.In addition to being firmly seated within the soil as a result of thesuspension/de-suspension process described above, the embeddable pole270 is further stabilized by burrowing the head 201 in the soil, duein-part to the flared configuration of the wide end 205 that preferablyextends out beyond the perimeter of the pole 250, and thus may act tocreate a resistance to anchor the embeddable pole 270 within the soil.Of course, the burrowing head 201 need not extend out beyond theperimeter of the pole 250, and may instead have approximately the samewidth as, or be narrower than, the pole 250, depending on userselection, as the skilled artisan will recognize, without departing fromthe scope and/or spirit of the inventions.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary, non-limiting flow diagram of an embeddingprocess for embedding a structure, according to principles of theinvention. The embedding process begins at step 600 and proceeds to step605, where a burrowing member may be provided, typically a cone-shapedstructure which may have a plurality of sides (such as described inrelation to FIGS. 2 and 3, for example). At step 610, a channel may beprovided to deliver, a fluid, typically compressed (but not arequirement), to a burrowing end of the burrowing member. A structure,typically a vertical structure, such as a pole, pillar, pile, post orcolumn, may be attached to the burrowing member at step 615. At step620, a device to deliver a fluid medium (such as, e.g., a gas and/or aliquid medium) may be attached to the channel.

At step 625, the combined structure and burrowing member assembly may beoriented in substantially vertical direction in relation to a soilsurface. At step 630, a fluid medium may be provided to the channel toreduce soil cohesion, or to make the soil particles suspend in the fluid(making a substantially fluidic soil), thereby creating much lessfriction for sinking (or embedding) the combined structure and burrowingmember (assembly) into the soil medium, usually without any need for anysubstantial rotation of the structure and burrowing assembly. Theassembly may now descend to a pre-determined depth by sliding throughthe soil medium. At step 635, the fluid medium source (i.e., the deviceto deliver the fluid medium) may be disconnected, thereby leaving theembedded assembly in the soil. At step 640, the process then ends; theinstallation being complete.

As an example, embodiments of the invention may be used to economicallyinstall pole-type structures (e.g., posts), piling, pillar, or supportcolumns, in loose (or even not very loose) cohesion-less soils (orsimilar soils), with or without a high water table. In testing on aprototype, according to an aspect of the invention, a 2 inch diametersupply for the fluid, such as compressed air, at a rate of at least 1000CFM and at a pressure of approximately 60 psi was employed successfully.Moreover, a second somewhat smaller prototype was tested for smallerstructures which utilized 2 inch to 1¼ inch reducers while maintainingan air volume, with equally satisfactory success. Variations of airpressures (or fluid pressures) and optimum air volume (or fluid volumes)may be used for various types of structure types, structure depths, andfor soil conditions.

While the invention has been described in terms of exemplaryembodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the inventioncan be practiced with modifications in the spirit and scope of theappended claims. These examples given above are merely illustrative andare not meant to be an exhaustive list of all possible designs,embodiments, applications or modifications of the invention.

1. An apparatus for facilitating emplacement of a structure in a soilmedium, comprising: a cone-shaped member, said member including aburrowing end and an end adapted to attach to an object, the objectbeing emplaceable in a soil medium; and a channel extending proximatesaid cone-shaped member, said channel having a first end and a secondend, said second end being configured to direct a fluid medium proximatesaid burrowing end of said cone-shaped member.
 2. The apparatus of claim1, wherein said cone-shaped member comprises a plurality of sides. 3.The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of said plurality of sidescomprises a width proximate said burrowing end that is smaller than awidth proximate an opposing said burrowing end.
 4. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein said fluid medium permeates said soil medium.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein said object comprises a pole-typestructure.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said pole-type structurecomprises a utility pole.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein saidchannel is detachable from a source of said fluid medium and adapted toremain in said soil medium after said object has been emplaced in saidsoil medium.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said second endcomprises a reducer.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said objectcomprises a pole, the apparatus further comprising: said pole adapted toattach to said object; and a fluid source configured to deliver saidfluid medium, said fluid source being attachable to said first end. 10.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fluid medium comprises water. 11.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said fluid medium comprises a liquidand a gas.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said end adapted toattach to an object includes at least one horizontal member forsupporting said object.
 13. An apparatus for embedding a structure in asoil medium, comprising: a burrower configure to burrow in a soilmedium; an attacher configured to attach a vertical structure to saidburrower; and a fluid source configured to deliver a fluid medium to asoil penetration end of said burrower to reduce soil cohesion duringemplacement of said vertical structure in said soil medium, said fluidmedium being under pressure, wherein said burrower is adapted to remainin said soil medium after emplacement of the vertical structure.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein said vertical structure comprises a pole.15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said fluid medium comprises acombination of a liquid and a gas.
 16. The apparatus of claim 13,wherein said fluid medium is substantially a liquid.
 17. An apparatusfor embedding a structure in a soil medium, comprising: means forburrowing including a burrowing end; means for directing a fluid mediumproximate said burrowing end; means for attaching a vertical supportstructure to said means for burrowing; and means for attaching a fluidmedium source to said means for directing a fluid medium.
 18. A methodfor embedding a structure in a soil medium, comprising: providing acone-shaped member, said member including a burrowing end and an endadapted to attach to an object emplaceble in a soil medium; providing achannel extending proximate said cone-shaped member, said channelcomprising a first end and a second end, said second end beingconfigured to direct a fluid medium proximate said burrowing end of saidcone-shaped member; attaching a vertical support structure to said endadapted to attach to an object, creating an embeddable vertical supportstructure and cone-shaped member assembly; attaching a device fordelivering at least one fluid medium to said first end; orienting saidembeddable vertical support structure and cone-shaped member assemblyrelative to a surface of said soil medium, said burrowing end of saidcone-shaped member being positioned proximate said surface of said soilmedium; and providing said at least one fluid medium to said first endof said channel said at least one fluid medium being provided at a rateand a volume sufficient to reduce cohesion of said soil medium, allowingsaid embeddable vertical support structure and cone-shaped memberassembly to descend through said soil medium to a predetermined depth.19. The method of claim 18, further comprising removing said at leastone fluid medium from said first end of said channel, leaving saidembeddable vertical support structure and cone-shaped member assemblyembedded in said soil medium.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein saidstep of providing said at least one fluid medium provides a liquid. 21.The method of claim 18, wherein said step of providing said at least onefluid medium provides a combination of a liquid and a gas.
 22. Themethod of claim 18, wherein the step of providing said at least onefluid medium allows said embeddable vertical support structure andcone-shaped member assembly to descend through said soil mediumsubstantially without any rotation.